Type-writing machine.



H. YATES.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

, APPLICATION FILED AUG-Z7. 19!!) 1,268,062. Patented May 28,1918.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY YATES, OF HAFEVILLE, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOE 1'0 UHDEBWOOD comm, OF NEW YORK, H. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPE-WRITIN G MACHINE.

ToalZwhomi/tmay concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Yams, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hapeville, in the county of Fulton and State of Geor 'a, have invented certain new and sefu Improvements in Type-Writing his chines, of which the followmg is a specification.

This invention relates to decimal tabulating-key mechanisms of typewriting machines especially where there '15 provided a row 0 tabulating keys for arresting the carriage at different denominational positions, after release thereof for a tabulating or jumping movement.

One of the benefits arising from the use of my invention is that advantage may be taken of the fact that in performing certain kinds of work. the same decimal tabulating key is used most of the time for jumping the carriage. For example, it is found that in some cases the tabulating usually involves the arrest of the carriage at the hundreds point.

I provide a special decimal key for he quent operation, which special. key is attached to the most frequently used denominational key lever. elevated far above the remaining decimal keys, and is preferably made broad, so that it can be struck by the palm of the hand, so that when the operator desires to use said special key, he needs only to strike the key with the palm of his hand. without taking time to hunt for one key in the row or bank of keys. The time and labor saved by this invention are therefore very great, and errors are minimized. Thisuseful special ke does not interfere with the remaining ta ulating keys in the bank, for, although the key is made wide, so that itmay be readily operated by the palm of the hand, still the widened part is far above the key or keys which it overhangs. so that there'is room beneath the widened part for the operator to reach these keys.

Since for dlflerent purposes or in the case of different establishments, different decimal keys are most frequently used, I have made my invention preferably in the form of an attachment. whereby it may be used in connection with any selected tabulator key. This attachment is in the form of a palmpiece,.o0nstituting a rider, forked to straddle an decimal key and overhan the ordinary ey-cep thereon. It maydie placed Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1918.

Application filed August 27, 1817. Serial Io. 188,278.

upon any of the-decimal tabulating key levers.

The invention has a further advantage in that it minimizes the time and labor rewishing to skip a column, the operator selects and then depresses the decimal-point key, the carriage being released and arrested thereby; and then he re-depresses said key, to proceed to the next column; this operation being further repeated if there are two columns tobe skipped. By using the present invention, the operator needs only 'to bring his palm down upon the palm-key,

and then release it, repeating for each column that is sln'pped, the necessity for selecting any one key from among many other similar keys in the bank or row, bein avoided. The saving of labor and time 18 considerable where there is much columnski ping to be done.

ther features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken from front to rear, with parts omitted to simplify the showing.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective view. showin the false key on the thousands decima? tabulator-key.

The usual numeral keys 1 and alphabet keys 2 operate type-actions 3 to strike a platen 4, mounted to rotate on a. carriage 5. The carriage 5 has the usual step-by-step movement under the control of the escape ment mechanism, indicated in general at 6. This escapement mechanism is that used on the standard Underwood typewritin machine. and operates at the de ression 0 any of the keys 1 and 2, to feed t e carriage 5 a letter-space or digit-column at a time.

In addition to having step-by-step movement, the carriage 5 may have jump move ments in order to move from one majorcolumn or zone to another. For this purose, there are provided decimal tabulator eys 7, which whm depressed, rock ke levers 8 about a pivot 9, so as to raise t e rear of these levers. The depression of the tabulator keys 7 thus forces upwardly plungers 10 resting on the key-levers 8, so that they maybe projected in ividually into the path of the steps 11, carried by the car riage 5. stops 11 are adjusta ly mount, ed at letter-space intervals on the rack 12,

'quired in skipping columns. Usually, whemto carried by the carriage 5. The carriage 5 is released from its escapeinent mechanism 6 in the usual way at the depression of a key 7 b means of a train of linkages 13, inclu ing an arm 14, universal to all of the plungers 10. T here may be any number of stops 11 within the capacity of the carriage 5, and according to the number of ma1orcolumns or zones desired.

The tabuhating-keys .7 are derinial taint lating. and when depressed, not only jump the carriage 5 to the next computing zone, but also select a particular letter-space or digit-space inthat zone. The keys 7 have various designations on their caps, indicatin r the particular denomination which they se eet. Any one of these keys will control the jumping from one major-column or zone to the next IKItljOF'COllHIHI or zone. If it is desired to skip one zone, that is, not typewrite in any particular zone, the carriage must be first jumped to this zone and then jumped to the next succeeding zone. To avoid confusion under such circumstances, it is desirable to always strike one particular key. This enables the movement from zone to zone to be done rapidly. Also where the numbers typewritten in the various major-columns or zones are of substantially the same magnitude, the same key which controls the selection of the highest denomination of the numbers written can be struck repeatedly for the several zones or major-columns.

In order ,to make one of the decimal-tabulator keys 7 more prominent than the others, and more easily operated for the purposes just mentioned, a false key 15 is provided, which may be ad'usted to any one of the key-levers 8. This alse key 15 is in the form of a rider, and is bifurcated at its lower end by means of a slot 16 so as to tightly straddle one of the key-levers 8. At its upper end the false key 15 projects forwardly so as to overhang the key cap of the associated decimal-tahulator key. Thus, the

false key 15 forms an extension for the partieular tabulator-key 7 with which it is assoc1ated, enabling this key to be operated more easily than would be the case if operated by striking its key cap, which is 10' cated in close proximity to the key caps of the next adjacent tabulating-keys.

It will be noted that the shank of the false key 15 is thin intermediate its ends so as to 'xtend between the key cap of the key 7 and the frame 17 of the typewriting machine.

Atits upper end where it bonds to overhang "the key cap, the false key 15 is thickened so as to give the necessary strength.

' Thus, it will be seen that a simple device is provided for making any one of the decimal talmlatordwys more prominent than the rest, or at least enabling it to be more easily operated than would otherwise he the case. In this way where tahulating is desired. without much decimal selection. the work can be done rapidly without too much thought or (:(msideration on the part of ,the operator.

Variations may he resorted to within the scope of the invention, and. portions of the innit-moments may be used withoutothers.

ll aving thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a series closely-nested keys having strikingsurfiaces in close proximity and. in alinement with each other, of a false key for making one of said series of keys more accessible, said false key supported below the striking surface of the key with which it is associated and extending to a projected position above the striking surface of such associated key.

2. The combination with a series of closely-nested keys including key-levers and key-caps affording striking surfaces in close proximity to each other, of a false key arranged to selectively ride on any of said key-levers having a bifurcated shank straddling the key-lever with which it is associated and having an overhan to project over the key-cap of is associated on a level considerabl above the striking level of said series of eys.

3. In a decimal-tabulating mechanism, the combination with a carriage and decimal stops therefor, of carriage-releasin mechanism, decimal keys arranged in a ban or row one of said keys being elevated substantial] y above the remainder to be operated by the palm of the hand of the openator, said key being broad enough to overlie another key in th uank.

4.. In a decimewabulating mechanism, the combination with a carria e and decimal stops therefor, of carriagc-relhasing mechanism, decimal keys arranged in a bank or row, one of said keys bein r elevated substantially above the reinainiler to be operated by the palm of the hand of the operator. said key being broad enough to overlie another key in the bank and being of sumcicnt elevation abo e said key to permit the operator to reach under thehroadened key to operate the key which is overhung thereby.

MARION PENILAND, JOHN H. SI'ILLAM, Jr.

the key with which it i 

